Throughout the whole European Union, intolerance, racism, xenophobia and discrimination continue to affect many people because of their ethnic origin, migration background or religious belief. The consequences of this violence, although different in the various Member States, are particularly serious for the Afro-descendent youth, the Muslim minorities, the Romany, and, in general, those who come from a migrant background. They often face multiple forms of discrimination, including those related to gender (see 2016-2021 Enar shadow report on racial discrimination in Europe).
The Butterfly Effect project – promoted in Italy by COSPE and CoNNGI – is based on the idea that small changes in initial conditions can produce major changes in the long-term behaviour of a community. Addressing the issue of racial incidents, which often affect young people from ethnic minorities and migration backgrounds.
In this context, COSPE and CoNNGI produced the podcast “Butterfly Effect: metamorphosis of an inclusive Europe” conducted by Ada Ugo Abara, a consultant on international cooperation and involvement of diaspora and young people, as well as founder of D-Tech 4Good, a service company for innovation and development.
The podcast series is available for free on Spotify:
A journey of discovery and awareness through 4 thematic episodes in which Ada Ugo Abara investigates the various forms of discrimination and racism in Italy and Europe, with particular attention to the educational context and the theme of representation and media. Two episodes will feature guest speakers Susanna Owusu Twumwah, Communication Specialist and Trainer, and Marilena Umuhoza Delli, Italian-Rwandan writer, author, journalist and director. In a multi-voice dialogue, the participants will reflect on the specificities of the educational context in forming young people to plurality, on the role of citizenship in the construction of stereotypes and on that of the media in establishing distorted visions of the world around us. From a broader perspective, the podcast will also share some good communication practices and strategies for reacting to micro-aggressions, asking for support, and actively countering hate speech. As Ada Ugo Abara explains:
“If we are to be truly anti-racist as a collective, we cannot just prevent acts of discrimination; we must act actively to promote meaningful change, both at the individual level and structural and systemic. We are asked for a concrete commitment, made of moments of (self)training, awareness among our peers and involvement of our institutional referents where we recognise situations of vulnerability. The first step is to become more aware“
To this end, the project Butterfly Effect – which has also produced a communication campaign at the European level – aims to create more knowledge of these issues, leaving a lasting trail in time that involves more and more people within our society, reaching especially the new generations by strengthening youth, the educational community and youth organizations in addressing hate episodes and supporting young victims through an intersectional and gender-sensitive approach.
